Air-heating apparatus



July 26, 1932. c, w, GOOD 1,868,743

AIR HEATING APPARATU S Filed Sept. 11. 1930 @9% @ya 5 aff *T* f2 j@ f um @Humm/Hummm? am-- I I f@ fa f f KT fi@ Q f@ f y A l /0 54- l' F5 lg 7 @@@Jww a. e0 27 r J B* \f 3'6 37 'xk Ii 70 23 je? so s f7 54 1J. fn77/l/ #4g/FUN# l //77 /l/7777/ /V /Jm /T//r/ ///7///// ri i Y .75, E@ 76 31 B gg D? QWWZ?? WK/6.55,' CIaTes if Gcfad f Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES W. GOOD, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WEIL-MCLAIN COMPANY,

.- OF MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE AIR-HEATING APPARATUS Application filed September 11, 1930. Serial No. 481,114.

This invention relates to improvements in air-heating apparatus.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, there has been a very definite tendency in the last few years to get away from the ugliness and ineiiciency of the old type of radiator systems for household heating.

Probably the most common line of development in radiator installations in the last few years involves the use of concealed radiators within recesses of'the walls, that is, the radiator or radiator sections have been put within a recess in a wall and a grille or a iinished wall put over the major portion of the recess opening, so as to conceal the radiator, while leaving vents for the heated air to enter the room. Such improvements have the advantage of more pleasing appearance, but have added nothing to the heating eiiiciency. Along the same general line of development has been the use, more recently, of fin types of radiators concealed in the same manner as above outlined, the advantages of which are a more rapid rate of heating of the air and the requirement for less space.

One serious disadvantage common to both of the types of improvements referred to in the preceding paragraph, is that the grille or wall section which is utilized to conceal the radiatingunit proper, is not an active air-heating element, so that there is a loss in` heating efficiency, dueto this fact, as well as to the fact that the heated air may not be given into the room as eiiiciently as from an entirely exposed radiator. In the case of the iin type of radiator units above referred to, there is another serious disadvantage when used in conjunction with thermostatically controlled heating furnaces or boilers. As understood by those in the art, thermostatically controlled heating apparatus is either brought into operation or its heating functions increased when the temperature in a room falls to a certain point and is then either shut off entirely or its heating functions reduced when the room temperature rises to a given point. Where such thermo' statically controlled heating apparatus is used in conjunction with a iin type unit, the

temperature falls rapidly, since there is prac-` tically no reserve heat in the n type unit to temper or partially maintain the room temperature.

Still another line of development involves the use of a series of radiator sections of theA tubular type, arranged side by side and connected by nipples, which assembly of sections may either be disposed in a wall recess without concealment, or entirely and openly exp osed in a room. Such types of radiator sec-y tlons, per se, have been materially improved as to their thermal efficiency in recent years, but nevertheless, the use of such sections assembled as just indicated, results in decreased efliciency, due to the nipple connections between sections at the tops and bottoms thereof, illustrative of which is the fact that, if a single such tubular radiator section, used alone, has 12 thermal capacity. ten of suchl sections assembled side by side will have only approximately 84 thermal capacity, as against the theoretical 120.`

One object of my invention is to provide a heat radiator arrangement which combines maximum heating or thermal efiiciency, minimum space occupied, and esthetic appearance.

Another object ofmy invention is to provide a combined, concealed air-heating unit for heating air at a high rate and of minimum weight per thermal unit and so disposed as to obtain an efficient flue eiect for the flow of air, with an exposed radiator panel or unit of artistic appearance, which functions etliciently to heat the air by radiation while at the same time being utilized as a grilleor equivalent, for concealing the rst named unit, and which also functions, in conjunction with the recess walls, to provide the desired flue edect for the air heated by the first named unit.

Another object of my invention is to provide an air heating arrangement which combines a unit adapted to heat a relatively large volume of air at a relatively rapid rate and having a relatively low heat retaining capacity, and a radiator unit having a relatively slow rate of radiation for heating the air, but of greater heat retaining capacity, so as to obtain relatively rapid heating of a room,.without sudden dropping of room temperature when the supply of heat medium is shut ofi' or reduced, to the end that a well balanced regulation of the heat to the room is obtained, which is particularly .advantageous when used in conjunction with thermostatically controlled heating apparatus.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a combination assembly of fin type heating unit and tubular radiator section or unit, such that both units operate at their highest efficiency.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a room wall showing one embodimentof my improvements employed in connection therewith. Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, upon an enlarged scale, corresponding to the section line 2 2 of Figure 1. And Figure 3 is a horizontal broken sectional view, upon an enlarged scale, corresponding'to the section line 3 3 of Figure l.

In said drawing, the wall 10 of the room is shown as formed witht a rectangular recess opening into the room and the end walls of which are defined by paltes 11-11, back wall by a plate 12, and the top by a preferably curved plate section 13. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the dimensions of such recess, where my improvements are employed in a recess, will vary greatly, dependent upon the siz of the room to be heated and the surrounding wall conditions.

In carrying out my invention in the specific embodiment shown in the drawing, I use two air-heating units A-A of the fin type and two radiator sections or units B-B of the thin tubular type.

In the arrangement as shown, the same is connected up for hot water heating, in which case the two iin units A-A are arranged end to end and connected by Va nipple 130. Correspondingly, the two radiator units B are arranged end to end and they, also, are con nected topV and bottom by nipples 11i-14. The supply of` hot water may be entered through the pipe 15, between which and the T 1G is a control valve 17. From the T' 16 lead pipes 18 and 19 to the units B-B and iin units A--A, respectively. The return assai/'ae pipe is indicated at 20, which is in communication with the discharge ends of the units B-B and iin units -A by suitable piping .2l-22.

rIhe fin units A are or may be of any dcsired form, but preferably consist of a core 23 with a series of relatively large rectangular plate lins 24-24 assembled thereover, as best shown in Figure 2. In this manner, while the capacity of the core 23 for the hot water or other heating medium is relatively small, the area of the in surface is relatively great, so that, given a'proper circulation of air upwardly between the tins 24;, the air will be heated at a very high rate. lin units A are disposed near the bottom of the wall recess and adjacent the bottom of the units B-B and preferably said iin units are supported by any suitable means such as the standards 25, which leaves a space beneath the iin units for the air to enter through the lower grille 2G, which may be controlled by a` damper 27 for the purpose hereinafter described.

Each of the radiator units B may be of any desired form and will, in actual practice, be of the tubular type indicated and so ianged and iuted as to present an attractive appearance in the form of a panel or grille, as best indicated in Figure 1. These units BY are placed approximately flush with the outer plane of the wall recess, as best shown in Figure 3 and, in order to conceal the piping at the ends of the units, additional front wall plates 28-28 may be employed, as shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the radiator units B have spaced,'vertically extending tubes 29-29 and top and bottom headers 3U-31 so that the capacity ofthe spaces in the tubes and headers for the hot water (or other heating medium) is very much greater than the capacity of the core 23 of the fin unit. vertically, as best shown in Figure 2, as to leave a passage at the bottom for the incoming cold air through the grille 26 and an outlet at the top through the grille 32, although the latter may be omitted and the air permitted to pass outwardly between the tubes of the radiator units B.

lVith the arrangement shown, it will be observed that the units B, in conjunction with the walls of the recess, provide a flue for the air currents, which pass up between the tins 24 and thus permit the efficient operation of the fin units A- and eect heating of the room by convection. Also, because the units B are exposed to air currents completely on both their inner and outer sides, said units B function at their highest efficiency unhampered by upper and lower sets of nipples, such as common in assembled radiator-sections. Obviously, too, the units B present an artistic appearance and effectivelyV conceal the fin units A-A. With` the fin units As shown, the

The units B are so located A-A adapted to heat the flowing air at a relatively rapid rate, the room will be quick- 1y heated when the heating medium is under supply and while the rate of radiation from the radiator units B-B will not be so great, nevertheless, the units B-B are live or Workinglradiator units, so that there is no loss such as eretofore, where ordinary grilles or Walls have been employed to conceal the units within the recess. Further, in the event of shutting off or reducing the supply of the heating medium to the heating assemblyas for instance, when used with thermostatically controlled heating'apparatus, while it will be true that the iin units A-A will cool uite quickly, due to the small capacity of t e cores 23 thereof, nevertheless, because of the greater capacities of the radiator units B, heat will continue to be given off principally by radiation for a considerable period of time from the units B so that the room will not be cooled suddenly. This is of extreme importance in connection with the operation of thermostatically controlled heating apparatus, inasmuch as it minimizes theffrequency of turning on or turning off the oil burner or other automatic heating apparatus. Further, by controlling the air currents that pass the lin units A, as by the damper 27, the fin units A may be practically cut out of the system and a mild. even heat maintained by the radiator units B-B.-

With assembled radiator sections, or units, as heretofore commonly employed, the efiiciency is represented approximately by one thermal foot for five, or six pounds of metal. By combining such radiator sections or units l with fin units having a very much higher thermal capacity, in the mannery heretofore described, I am enabled to obtain an efiiciency represented approximately by one thermal' foot for each two and one-half pounds of met-al employed in the two types of units.

In the drawing I have illustrated two fin -units and two raditor units B, with the fin units made separately and located adjacent the bottom of the units-B but, as Ywill be understood by those in the art, a wide range y of equivalents may occur in actual practice and still be within the inventive concept. Changes and -variations which will readily occur are with respect to the location of the n unit relative to the radiator unit B; the number of lin units A and radiator units B; the use of the combination of iin units A and radiator units B partially exposed or even wholly exposed wherein the yradiator units either partially or entirely surround the iin units; the manner of associating the fins with respect to the radiator unit; and different piping connections between the several units. All such changes and modifications are contemplated as comerwithin'the scope of the claims appended hereto.

' plurality of fins providing a relatively .large surface area for heating a current of air; of another heating unit comprised of spaced, vertically :arranged tubes and free from iins and disposed adjacent the first named unit and providing therefor a iue wall for the air current passing the fin unit, the air current bein also adapted to pass between the spaced tu es.

3. 'In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a relatively high andtransversely thin radiating unit comprised of spaced vertically arranged tubes; of a lesser height heatingunit having a relatively large area of n surface, the two units being so disposed that air currents passing up through the fin unit then pass up along the side of the first named unit, the spaced tubes adapting the air currents to pass therebetween. v

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a tubular radiator section; of a iin heating unit in close proximity thereto; supply and return pipes for the heating medium; and means for connecting said section and unit in parallel to said supply and return pipes.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a relatively vertically elongated tubular radiator section; of a heavily finned heating unit o lesser height associated therewith and on the side opposite the exposed side of the radiator section, whereby the exposed side of said section presents the appearance of a ille, while the section conceals the iin unit and provides a flue-wall eiect for the air currents passing the fins. 6. In an air-heating arrangement adapted to be disposed .in a Wall recess, the combination with a radiator section extendmg over the opening of the recess; of a iin unit adapted to be disposed within the recess behind the radiator section, said radiator section being so disposed that air currents may enter at the bottom of the wall recess, pass upwardly through the fin unit alongside the sectlon and thence outwardly of the section.

l 7. In an air-heating arrangement adapted to be disposed in a wall recess, an outer grille formation comprised of a tubular radiator section through which air is adapted to circu late, and a fin heating unit concealed by the former.

8. In an air-heating arrangement adapted to be disposed in a wall recess, the combination with a iin heating unit within the recess; of a tubular radiator section having a grillelilre appearance extending over the opening of said recess and concealing the fin unit, said radiator section being so disposed with respect to the recess that an admission port for the air is provided at the botttom thereof and y circulation through the radiator section is permitted. Y

9. ln an air-heating arrangement adapted to be disposed in a wall recess, the combination withV a fin heating unit within the recess; of a tubularfradiator section having a grillelike appearance extending over the opening of said recess and concealing the tin unit, said radiator section being so disposed with respect to the recess that an admission port for the air is provided at the bottom thereof; and means to prevent free circulation of air past the in unit.

l-O. In an air-heating arrangement of the character described, the combination with a iin fruit having a relatively small space for accommodating the heating medium; of an ornametal tubular panel in front of and in communication with said fin unit, said panel having va materially larger space for receiving the heating medium and the tubular formation adapting the air to pass from one side to the Vother of the panel.

11. In an air-heating arrangement adapted to be used yin a wall recess,.a. plurality of radiator sections arranged end to end and providing a grille-like closure for said recess, each of said sections being relatively thin in a direction perpendicular to the wall and comprised of ,a plurality of spaced vertically arranged tubes whereby the air currents are adapted to pass transversely through theV aeea'res posed as to leave an air admissionopening at the bottom thereof and an air outletk opening at the top thereof whereby said panel heats primarily by radiation and the finned heating unit heats air currents entering at the bottom and leavingat the top of the panel to deliver heat principally by convection.

14. In an arrangement ofthe character described for heating a room by radiation and convection, a radiator panel of appreciable width and height and relatively thin in overall thickness to thereby provide a wall-like formation with one side thereof adapted to be exposed to the interiorV of the room to be heated and to eect heating by direct radiation, said panel having associated therewith, on the opposite side thereof, a plurality of vertically arranged, spaced fins of relatively large, Vtotal area whereby w currents of air passing upwardly between said iins are adapted to deliver heat to the room by convection and said wall-like formation of the panel provides a Hue-wall effect for the l air currents of convection. Y

ln witness that l claim the foregoing l have hereunto subscribed my name this 25th day of August 1930. Y H

CHARLES W. GOOD.

convection currents are passable between the Y spaced tubes.

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